Ever wondered what could be the odds for a street ragpicker to transform into an ace Photographer delivering lectures at Harvard, White House, and the headquarters of the likes of Google, Facebook, etc.? This journey has been beautifully narrated by Mr. Vicky Roy in this talk where he shares the importance of zeal and dedication over people's base desires and the euphoria of success over the chains of mere expectations.
Not always a road less taken will be tough, but the unknown challenges it would have would make it really difficult, as you may be the first one discovering them. Shakespeare said, a prize won too easily reduces its worth and it is true to date. Rooted in deep human values of dedication, sincerity, patience, and the zeal to discover one's own self, and not giving up along the way, are just a few things to define what this gentleman achieved by his sheer commitment to make things work for himself despite all odds. Giving up on hope is easy, but holding on to it when everything seems lost is what makes us stronger and Vicky has proven it again and again.
His sheer will and courage and a good heart became the ingredients for his present, which could have been lost in the darkness of reality had he not made and stayed with the right choices he was making or correcting his wrong ones as he was moving forward. He is a brilliant example to look up to when one wants to emphasize the role of hard work and human effort without which Destiny or Luck would appear to be nothing but irrational and speculative. identifying what satisfies one's desires and then leaving no stone unturned to make things a reality, eventually attracts the grace from all the forces of Nature too. Clinging on to hope in the darkest of times and seeing a silver lining in the rainy days, became his magic wand to change his reality both literally and figuratively.
This story of Mr. Vicky Roy is no different from the storyline of Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire" with some more real and hard effects which made this more inspiring and touching at the same time. Today he is an internationally acclaimed photographer applauded for his work under the name "Street Dream" and has also featured in Forbes' 2016 list of Asia 30 under 30. He is all about how we are the sole owners and makers of our own destiny and if we want to make it BIG no one can STOP US.
Vicky ran away from his village in West Bengal at a very young age to New Delhi, where he found solace in the Salaam Baalak Trust. It was there that he developed an interest in photography. Post this he learned the art at Triveni Kala Sangam and apprenticed under famous artist Mr. Ajay Mann. In 2007, his first solo exhibition, "Street Dream" was sponsored by the British High Commission. In 2008, he was selected by the US-based Maybach Foundation to photo document the reconstruction of the World Trade Center. Mr. Vicky was also awarded a fellowship at MIT in 2014, post his monograph titled "Home Street Home".
He says:" If you want to do something in your life then you will always have to work hard; there is no shortcut to success. If you want to make your dreams come true, keep an eye on them. By fleeing the fears of obstacles, you will never succeed."
To know more about Vicky or to get in touch with him, visit:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roy.vicky
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickyroy87/
Website: https://www.vickyroy.in/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vickyroy87